


Pretty Hurts

by crystalkardashians



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fashion & Models, Alternate Universe - Human, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-25
Updated: 2017-04-25
Packaged: 2018-10-23 22:37:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10728699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crystalkardashians/pseuds/crystalkardashians
Summary: Aspiring supermodel Pearl Malik finally gets her big break, and together with an ex Venezuelan beauty queen, a fitness enthusiast from The Bronx, an androgynous Korean model and a transgender model from The Philippines, she sets out to show the world that beauty can neither be defined by a certain body type or skin colour.





	1. Chapter 1

“Mama said, “You’re a pretty girl”  
What’s in your head, it doesn’t matter  
Brush your hair, fix your teeth,  
What you wear, is all that matters”

Pearl hummed along to the song pouring from the car’s speakers on the dashboard as the driver sped down the sunny streets of Los Angeles. Staring hard at the back of the woman before her occupying the shotgun seat, Pearl tried to calm her nerves by counting the number of curly ringlets she had in her hair, only giving up when she realised that there were too many of them and she was losing count.  
“Pearl, you’re biting your nails again.” The lady spoke up, staring at her through the rearview mirror. “Is anything the matter?” she asked.  
“Oh, err nothing, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me Rose.” Pearl stuttered as she snatched her hand away from her mouth and bunched it into a tight fist in her lap.  
“Pearl, I know you’re worried but I’m sure you will do great. You are just what my agency has been looking for, you’ll be the next big thing!” Rose exclaimed before chortling happily, as Pearl silently wondered what Rose even saw in her. She had matched with the older woman on Tinder a month ago when Rose had told her that she was currently scouting for models on the West Coast, and that Pearl was perfect for the role.  
“We’re here, c’mon Pearl.” Rose spoke as the driver pulled over, gathering her things, Pearl daintily hopped out of the backseat and hurried up the path after Rose. The glass windows of the building looming before her reflected the bright afternoon sun into her eyes and made her squint as she trailed behind Rose who was busy greeting several people standing outside of the building. As Pearl passed these people, they would stare her down, eyes scanning every inch of her form as though she were and object to be appraised.  
“You’ve got yourself a regulation hottie huh Rose?” a man dressed in a well-tailored suit asked, “well you’re really pale and I’ve never seen a pointier nose on anybody’s face!” he laughed as he stepped up close to scrutinise her. “Aside from that, all I can say is that you were obviously made in Twiggy’s image!” he finished, before bidding farewell to Rose.  
“He’s talking about the British model from the 60s, right?” Pearl asked as she entered a large revolving door that led her into a large and very posh looking reception area.  
“Yes Pearl, you’re right. Now come along, I’ll not be taking you to the makeup artists as we’re going for a more natural vibe today.” Rose instructed as she led Pearl into a waiting elevator. “Afterall, I see the beauty in every single one of you, so there’s no need for any more makeup!” Rose gushed happily as Pearl simply stared, unsure of what to say in reply. All her life, Pearl had been both celebrated and picked on for her looks. Relatives and her parents friends would often remark about how tall, slender and pretty she was, whilst the boys and girls at school would pick on her for her albinism and for not being a “real woman” due to her lack of a curvy figure, resulting in a few disasters as Pearl tried to stuff her bra with tissues and even wore multiple pairs of underwear in an attempt to attain a more desirable figure.  
“Alright, we’re here. You can hang out and mingle with the other girls first while I go get my boss and everyone else who is supposed to be present. I’ll see you in a bit!” she said before hurrying off in a flurry of curly pink hair. Swallowing hard as she opened the heavy door, Pearl’s heels clacked noisily against the polished tiled floor as she took a few steps into the high ceilinged room which was sparsely furnished save for some chairs and a runway that ran down its centre. As she entered the room, Pearl noticed that the room’s other occupants were all seated on the chairs placed by the side of the runway. Every single person there was clad in nothing but their underwear, making Pearl suddenly feel very much overdressed as she hurried behind a curtain one of the girls seated nearby had pointed out to her. When she returned, all eyes were on her she meekly took her seat in the only empty chair left, squeezing past the knees of two other girls in the process.  
Pearl’s heart thumped in her chest as she wondered whether the other girls had been annoyed by her tardiness, especially since the two girls she had squeezed past seemed rather disgruntled. She discreetly tried to look at the models seated around her in an attempt to get a grasp of the situation when she noticed that every single person in the room had a completely different body type and look to them, a far cry from the image of the typical supermodel. What exactly was Rose up to, she wondered, was this why she wouldn’t stop talking about how Pearl would fit right in here with everyone else, with her waifish frame, large nose and strawberry blonde hair?  
She jumped as the doors swung open moments later, interrupting her train of thought as a group of well-dressed people marched into the room and took their seats in front of the runway. Amongst them was Rose, who waved in the direction of the models as she took her seat and called out the name of the first girl on the list.  
“Lapis, please take the stage.” Rose announced as the blue haired girl seated to Pearl’s right got up, the metal legs of her chair dragging on the tiles in the process as she headed over to the stairs that led to the runway before marching down its length with graceful, fluid strides. Pearl made a mental note to observe how the girl moved as she effortlessly struck a glamourous pose in front of the judges before making her way back to the other end of the runway. The judges murmured amongst themselves as the nodded and took notes before Rose called the next girl out, “Jasper, you’re next!”  
The sound of a chair squeaking against the floor caught Pearl’s attention, but not as much as the towering amazon of a woman with waist length hair who marched past her, stiletto heels clacking against the tile as she ascended the stairs. Pearl caught herself admiring the muscular contours of her body, everything from her tanned biceps to her toned abdomen. The judges themselves nodded appraisingly before Jasper returned to her seat in the row in front of Pearl and the next girl was called to the runway.  
“Peridot?” Rose yelled in their direction as a petite girl hopped out of her seat and strutted off in the direction of the runway. Pearl noted to herself that she was an unusual candidate for modelling, seeing as the girl was not even five feet tall and wore her bleached hair in a style that Pearl could only describe as “sticking straight up and all over”. With platform heels on her feet that looked fit for Lady Gaga, she was a mix of an adorable girl and a badass lady you’d think twice before messing with, a look which Pearl decided was a fresh take on the conventional image of feminine beauty.  
“Alright Amethyst, you’re up!” Rose called out as she scribbled into a notepad held in one hand. With that, a small lilac haired girl rose from her seat and flipped her wild tresses over her shoulder as she took to the runway. Pearl could immediately feel the fierce energy and confidence that oozed from her as Amethyst marched over to the stairs and began strutting down the length of the runway. She was wild, glamourous and radiated pure, raw sex appeal as Pearl noted that Amethyst very much looked like she had just stepped out of a Sandro Botticelli painting and catwalked right into modern Los Angeles.  
“Goddamit, first Jasper and now Amethyst? I just can’t stop myself crushing on almost every model I meet huh?” Pearl mentally cursed to herself, knowing that she, literally the gayest gay on the planet had willingly entered into a career where she had to interact with gorgeous women on the daily.  
“Pearl, up next!” Rose called out and waved in her direction, snapping Pearl out of her thoughts as she tried to recompose herself and put on her most nonchalant face before climbing onto the runway. From up here, the lights on the ground were nearly blinding and Pearl had to try very hard not to squint while at the same time she had to stay conscious of how she was moving her body. The few minutes Pearl took to reach the end of the runway felt like an hour as she calculated every move, every angle, including the speed of her strides and the way her hips swung with every step. It was like an art form where precision and perfection were the only things that mattered.  
“Stop, right there.” One of the judges commanded, making the blood in Pearl’s veins freeze up as a million panicked thoughts burst forth in her mind like a swarm of butterflies. What had she done, had she messed up?  
“I want her.” The same judge continued, looking up at Pearl from under her long blonde bangs. “And every single one of them!” she continued, “you’ve all done a great job, see you back here in two days for the spread we will be working on.” She announced as the rest of the judges nodded and beamed. Pearl herself was so surprised upon hearing those words that she had frozen up at the spot where she stood on the runway and had not moved until the loud cheers of the other models caught her attention. Watching from afar as Lapis and Peridot hugged each other while Jasper and Amethyst were busy laughing and trying to ruffle each other’s hair brought a small smile onto Pearl’s lips. After the judges and Rose had left, the girls picked up their bags and clothes and headed for a door behind the runway with Pearl scurrying after them. It appeared that they had already been acquainted with one another and she hoped that they would be friendly enough to take her in.  
“Hey you, the name’s Pearl right?” a raspy voice called out. Looking over in the direction of the other girls, Pearl noticed Amethyst beckoning her over.  
“Yeah, I’m Pearl, it’s really nice to meet you guys.” She spoke, hoping with all her might that she didn’t come off as socially awkward.  
The models beamed, showing off their perfect teeth as the little girl, Peridot spoke up, “Wow, you’re really tall. I guess Jasper’s got some competition now huh.” She teased and nudged her taller friend who simply laughed it off before grabbing Peridot and playfully mussing up her hair, much to the chagrin of the latter.  
“Oh they are always horsing around, I’m Lapis by the way.” The blue haired girl spoke up, “I really love your hair colour. It kinda looks pink and blonde at the same time, how did you get it to be this colour?” Lapis asked, twirling a lock of her hair as she talked.  
“Oh, well my parents have black hair, but my albinism turned my hair orangey-peach coloured I guess.” Pearl replied, noting that Lapis’ face and shoulders were covered with hundreds of golden freckles that made her skin resemble the constellations that lit up the night sky. And despite her resting bitch face, she probably wasn’t as mean as Pearl expected her to be.  
“Oh man, your hair is gorgeous. As for me, I just stick with blue because it’s easier to maintain and bleach is an absolute killer on my hair.” Lapis replied, rubbing her hands over her bare arms, “guys, we should put our clothes back on, the air conditioner’s really cold.” She called out to the other three girls who were now chasing one another around the dressing room chairs.  
“Aww man, I wanna feel sexy for a little while longer. I mean, how often are you allowed to just walk around in your skivvies in the middle of the day?” Amethyst retorted, making Pearl giggle as she was in the midst of putting on her clothes.  
“Well, don’t blame us when you get a cold and can’t go out to parties with us.” Peridot retorted as she pulled on a suede bodysuit.  
“Alright alright, I’ll cover my tits and ass then so you guys will stop babying me.” Amethyst complained and retrieved her clothes from her bag. Pearl decided that Amethyst was even hotter with clothes on, and couldn’t help but admire the way her distressed tank highlighted her strong shoulders whilst her ripped jeans flashed the skin of her thighs and knees.  
“By the way ladies, I have invites for a party happening tomorrow night, all the important fashion people will be there so we’ve gotta schmooze and let them know that we now have modelling contracts.” Jasper announced to their little gathering in the dressing room.  
“Oooh, can I flip off everyone who complained that I was too short and not pretty enough to be hired?” Peridot asked as she tugged on Jasper’s arm. “I’ll even flip off the people who called you an ugly dyke the other time!”  
“Peri, for the last time you can’t just shove your middle finger into people’s faces without getting kicked out. And you’re definitely not drinking or flipping anyone off.” Jasper scolded as she pried the blonde girl off her arm.  
“You’re such a clod, Jasper! I’m twenty two years old but you treat me like I’m seventeen!” she complained loudly as Lapis simply snorted with laughter at Peridot’s words.  
“Peri, you’re adorable. Please never, ever change alright?” Lapis asked.  
“Oh hell no Lapis, you did not. She’s a pain in the ass!” Jasper complained before Amethyst cut them off by announcing that she was starving and going across the street to get some food.  
“You guys can continue to bicker or we can get pizza from that place we passed by earlier. You good with pizza, Pearl?” she asked, stopping at the doorway.  
“Oh yes I’m definitely alright with pizza, just not the ones with pineapple on them.” Pearl replied as the rest laughed and agreed that pineapple pizza was just not okay. Well, at least they have good taste in food, Pearl mused to herself with a laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you tell that I used to spend all of my time watching America's Next Top Model? Damn I love that show.
> 
> Having dealt with body image issues and anorexia for more than half of my life, I've always wanted to write a story that touched on beauty standards and how they affect people. With that, I find that SU is honestly the perfect setting for a story like this as I've always loved how the gems are portrayed with a variety of body types and yet each and every one of them is without a doubt, absolutely gorgeous. This story has more of a humorous/chick flick-esque vibe to it rather than my usual action movie plot type fics so I hope you guys enjoy it!
> 
> (The song that plays on the radio in the car is Pretty Hurts by Beyonce)


	2. Chapter 2

The bright sunlight assaulted Pearl’s eyes once again as she stepped out of the agency and onto the bustling street.  
“Amethyst, I’ve never met a model who was this excited about pizza, all the girls I’ve worked with in the past ingested cotton balls dipped in orange juice on the daily. I don’t even know how they did it, that stuff tastes terrible.” Pearl remarked as Lapis pushed the door of the pizzeria open and their little party stepped into the quaint restaurant.  
“Gee Pearl, when I first met these guys over here, I was on a steady diet of celery and self-hatred. And then at some point, I realised that there was no point living an existence where I spent every waking moment of my life hating on myself for the way I looked.” Amethyst explained as a waiter led them to a booth.  
“I can attest to that, in this industry where size two is the new size eight, anyone above a size 6 is seen as obese.” Peridot added, “Four years ago, I started out as a plus size underwear model myself, but that was before I met Rose Quartz, and you guys.”  
“That’s bullshit Peri, now you guys know why nine year olds are getting hospitalised for eating disorders.” Amethyst complained as she flipped through the menu. “Yo, anyone wanna share a chocolate and marshmallow pizza with me?” she asked the trio who were seated opposite her.  
“I’ve never tried that before,” Pearl spoke up, “is it good?”  
“I’m telling ya, its heaven on a giant dough biscuit. And you are definitely trying it today.” Amethyst replied with a smirk. “What are you guys getting huh?” she asked Lapis who was seated directly opposite.  
“Oh we’re getting cheese pizza, that way nobody’s gonna end up with toppings they don’t like on it.” She replied and laughed as Jasper complained about the terrible things people would put on pizza, like pineapples. Which Pearl definitely agreed, pineapples on pizza were worse than those bottles of cold pressed kale juice everybody and their mother was currently obsessed with.  
“So Pearl, tell me ‘bout cha self.” Amethyst spoke after the pizza arrived and she had taken a bite out of a slice. “What’s your deal?”  
“Well, I’m an aerospace engineering student at the university, but I took up modelling because I needed the extra cash and I’ve always loved fashion, ever since I was little.” Pearl replied and fiddled with the straw on her drink.  
“Eh, what a nerd. You should get along just fine with Ms. Computer Scientist over here!” Amethyst teased and flung a marshmallow in Peridot’s direction, which landed in her hair and set Jasper and Lapis off in peals of laughter as their blonde friend squealed with disgust and ran a napkin through her hair.  
“It wasn’t always easy though,” Pearl continued. “Growing up, I used to go to school in India before my family moved to the States, and the other kids would bully me for the colour of my skin and hair, they used to call me names like “whiteout”. Middle school in America wasn’t any different, I had to beg my mom to buy me a bra after all the other girls started wearing them and I was the only one left who didn’t need one, and the other girls would tease me in the locker room about it.” She reflected and took a sip of her drink. “Sometimes, when I stand in front of the bright lights and the cameras start going off, I hope that I could be an inspiration to other girls out there who feel that they will never be desirable simply because they are different.”  
“Wow, I like your story…” Amethyst whispered. “Eh, I guess I should tell you mine now.” Clearing her throat, she started. “I’m from Venezuela, a country where many girls will go to great lengths to be crowned Miss World or Miss Universe as it is the only way out of poverty, because there a beautiful woman has better career prospects than someone with a university degree. So, my mother sent me to a beauty academy, where they taught me how to strut, dance, and behave like a proper lady.”  
“Did you skip all the lessons about learning how to be a proper lady though?” Lapis asked and snorted with laughter.  
“Lappy, my mom would have whooped my ass hard if I skipped school. Meh, I just simply do not give enough shits about being proper.” Amethyst remarked. “Anyway, back to the topic. The teachers and my mom decided that my features were not Eurocentric aka white enough so they ordered me to have a nose job, and after that came butt implants, breast reduction and liposuction, all that to make me a beauty queen.”  
“Gosh Amethyst, how did you deal with all that?” Pearl asked, shocked that a mother would order her daughter to go under the knife for the sake of beauty.  
“Honestly, I just didn’t know better. It was the only world I knew back then, where being pretty meant that you were successful and you had done your family proud.” Amethyst shrugged. “I would have done absolutely anything to be beautiful then, I even agreed to have hormones and puberty blockers injected into me so I could hopefully grow taller. But I’m still a proud shorty squad member, which pissed my mom off so bad.” She laughed.  
The booth was silent as all eyes were on Amethyst as they listened to her story which never failed to shock even the most seasoned model. Deep down, Pearl felt really bad for Amethyst, she couldn’t imagine undergoing as many surgeries as she had in just barely over twenty years.  
“When I was eighteen, I left for the States with fifty nine other girls. The sixty of us were deemed the Top Group, which basically meant that we were the ones with the most potential for being crowned Miss World. Damn, that felt so good ya know, my mother even cried tears of joy when I told her about it!” Amethyst recounted. “However, as I was simply seen as ‘too fat’ to be a pageant queen, I was instead signed to a modelling agency and became a model for high street fashion clothing lines. And frankly, I must say that although a shit ton of people have still called me a fat cow over the years, I’ve grown to love my body for the way it is. Beauty is so much more than just a certain body type or look.” She finished, and shoved the slice of pizza she held in her hand into her mouth, chewing in the most unlady like fashion as she sucked the chocolate sauce of her fingers. “Alright ladies, I know my story always has you guys shook, but let’s lighten up a little alright!” she laughed, cajoling the other three across the table into sharing more about themselves.  
“Alright alright, I guess it’s my turn then.” Jasper said with a little smile. “My name’s Jasper because my momma has always wanted a son after she’s had three girls before me, but she got lucky in a way I guess, because I was and am still a total tomboy.” She chuckled and continued, “I attended elementary school in The Bronx where they nicknamed me ‘the flash’ because I could run faster than any other kid, and literally that was when I peaked because shortly after that, I developed vitiligo and became everyone’s favourite person to pick on by the time I entered middle school.” Jasper spoke, gesturing to the stripe of pale skin around her eyes. “I remembered being called a zebra by some of my classmates when I wore shorts to school once and showed off the patches of lightened skin on my legs. Some little bitch’s mom even asked if I had purposely lightened and modified parts of the skin on my face and body when I was in high school, which was ridiculous, damn it.” She lamented, “And after high school, then I started working out and got into bodybuilding when I was in college, which worked out well for me as I always had a strong physique so getting dem gains was easy.”  
“She’s very handy to have around when you wanna open things like tight jars, or you know, when you wanna beat bad guys up in alleys in the dead of the night.” Peridot interrupted, and chuckled.  
Jasper laughed and gathered her messy blonde hair out of her face. “Alright Peri, call me next time when you are trying to make a sandwich but can’t get the mayo jar open.” She added, “Anyway, how did I go from gym rat to model? Well, my college roommate had been scouted on the streets and she recommended me to her agency. At first, the idea of casting me as a model sounded crazy to not only the people at the agency, even I felt that I had absolutely zero chance of being on a billboard since I was miles away from the skinny, feminine image favoured by the media. But, they called me back and offered me a contract for three years, which turned into six years before too much controversy over a big girl like me with imperfect skin made me nearly want to quit and head back to college.”  
“What made you change your mind then?” Pearl asked as she picked the marshmallows of her pizza slice.  
“Well, I was binging on a season of America’s Next Top Model one lonely night when I saw that Winnie Harlow, one of the contestants who had skin similar to mine had been called names like “cow” by the judges. Despite that, she still remained on the show. In fact, after ANTM she has worked with several brands and even with Beyoncé herself for Lemonade. So I made my comeback and moved to LA, where I modelled for several sports brands, and also tried out modelling gender nonconforming clothing, which was where I met my favourite brat, Peridot.”  
“Yeah, the gay kids loved us!” Peridot added, “It was great, I love the look you get when you pair tailored suits with killer heels and dramatic makeup.” She continued with an excited tone, waving her small hands about as she spoke. “Hey Jasp, continue with your story, it’s interesting.” She said, nudging the larger woman next to her.  
“You know Peridot, I’ve been talking for an awfully long time, I’d say it’s your turn.” She replied, as Peridot huffed and shoved the rest of her pizza into her mouth.  
“Alright,” she mumbled through a mouthful of pizza. “Let’s start. I’m Peridot, as you already know since these clods have probably repeated my name a hundred times since we met, I also graduated from the university with a degree in computer science a few months ago, much to the chagrin of my mom who always wanted me to be a doctor.” Peridot lamented, “And well to her even bigger disappointment, I was an underwear model who wore thongs and strappy bondage lingerie that’s certainly become a hit on the runways now.”  
“She’s a kinky one, I must say.” Amethyst remarked as Lapis gave her a high five from across the table.  
“Amethyst!” Peridot screeched, as the purple haired girl simply guffawed and apologized with a wave of her hand.  
“Well, Gigi Hadid recently wore a strappy lingerie piece on the Victoria’s Secret runway and she looked really good. You must have looked incredibly stunning too Peri, so don’t feel too bad about what your mom said. My mom’s just like that too, she believes that modelling is for whores.” Pearl complained, hoping that Peridot would find their situations relatable.  
“Oh well, you feel me huh? In fact, my family is about to send me back to Korea for double eyelid surgery, simply because they are upset about having a daughter who has monolids, a flat face, and a closet full of size eight clothing.” Peridot continued with a look of irritation on her face. “My mom says that I’ll never find a man looking like this, but what she doesn’t know is that I’m already married to my high heels and my iPad.” Peridot remarked with a laugh.  
“Yeah, my mother complains that she will be unable to find a husband for me, but honestly, I don’t even want a man right now, or even at all!” Pearl replied, feeling slightly annoyed, but venting some of her frustration sure did feel good.  
“You would look weird with eyelid ceases, honestly.” Lapis commented, “You’re also already hot as hell the way you are right now, I call bullshit on the whole needing surgeries to be considered beautiful thing people have going on.”  
“Look Lappy, I know lil Peri here has got you all hot and bothered, so you guys need to hurry up and get together. I’m rootin’ for y’all both because the world needs some more love since bradgelina broke up!” Amethyst teased, much to the chagrin and embarrassment of the pair sitting across her.  
“And what, we’ll have to watch them suck each other faces all day in the dressing room? Hell no, I did not sign up for this.” Jasper complained before downing the rest of her soda. “Hey Lapis, I know you get shy in front of pretty girls, but you haven’t said a word for the past hour.” She egged the blue haired girl who simply shot her an annoyed look.  
“What, no Jasper, I’m no pretty girl.” Pearl muttered as she felt her face heat up. This group of girls really surprised her with the way they complimented and supported each other, and in short behaved like a family. Often, models had to face strong competition from their peers and friendships would dissolve into jealousy and rage.  
“Come on Jasper, I saved your ass when you got stage fright during that one time we had to give a speech at fashion week!” Lapis retorted. “So I’m definitely not shy, as you like to call me.” Clearing her throat, she continued, “Well, my claim to fame here is that I’m the most prominent Filipina transgender model in the US as of now at least. And also the most freckly person in every room I’ve ever walked into in my entire life.” She laughed and let out an adorable little snort. “People used to pick on me all the time for my freckles, but I’ve made peace with them now.” She said, and rested her chin on her hands with a small smile on her lips.  
“Lapis don’t bring that up, I got scared because Anna Wintour was in the audience and she’s the editor of Vogue! I can’t go fucking up in front of the lady who was the inspiration for Miranda Priestly from the Devil Wears Prada.” Jasper complained, “It’s also not my fault that you fuck up way less than I do!”  
“You know she fell asleep in the bath and flooded our apartment last week right?” Peridot asked, “I never knew mopping could be this tiring, I didn’t need to go to the gym for two days!” she exclaimed before flexing her small arms with a proud smirk on her face.  
“Man, what big biceps you have there, I’m gonna need a magnifying glass to see them!” Jasper teased before she got a handful of napkins thrown in her direction by an angry Peridot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From being told that I'd need eyelid surgery when I was just 4 years old, to having the first person I dated tell me that I should wear double eyelid tape all the time. People literally always have something to say about my monolids which has honestly caused me a lot of grief in the past, hence the self indulgent bit where Peridot rants about plastic surgery and Asian beauty standards.
> 
> That aside, cheers and happy reading!


	3. Chapter 3

“Ladies ladies, we’ve been here for like what, two hours? Eh, y’all can save your bickering for when you get home, because I gotta stretch these legs or I’m gonna lose feeling them soon!” Amethyst interrupted. Leaving the pizzeria, Pearl noticed that the air had gotten cooler as the afternoon turned into the evening, which was a change from the stuffy booth and the plastic sofa she’d been sitting on that made her thighs sweaty.  
“Pearl, you taking the bus or subway?” Amethyst asked, “or do you own a car?” she continued.  
“I’ll take the subway with you guys, and no I don’t own a car although I do know how to fix them!” Pearl replied, before realizing that knowing how to fix a car was probably the second gayest thing about her. During the trek to the subway, Pearl glanced enviously at how easily Amethyst handled her three-inch stiletto heels. Being already a very tall person, Pearl had only worn sky high heels mainly during photoshoots. Posing in these heels was easy and often made her feel incredibly powerful and sexy. However, walking in them was a whole other story itself, judging by how Pearl’s feet were starting to hurt with every step, she knew she was so going to regret this.  
Upon boarding the subway, Pearl soon found herself standing amongst a crowd of office workers heading off for home or for a drink after work. As more people got onto the subway, she soon found herself pressed up against Lapis with their faces inches apart from one another.  
“I’m sorry, but crowded train huh?” Pearl muttered to the blue haired girl who simply smiled.  
“No worries.” She replied, before grabbing onto Pearl’s arm as the train unexpectedly jolted. “I’m definitely gonna break my ankles someday, thanks to these heels.” She sighed, “but oh well, like they say, beauty is pain huh? Who am I to complain if these shoes are able to give me the illusion of having longer legs.”  
“Gosh, if the floors of the subways weren’t as gross as they are, I’d be barefoot by now!” Pearl complained as she ducked under a ring hand strap dangling from the overhead horizontal poles. “I swear, these straps are going to take out my nose someday.” She huffed, as Lapis simply giggled with amusement.  
“Tall people problems huh? Don’t worry, I can relate.” She replied, “those straps hit me on the head all the time too!” Lapis spoke, shifting the position she was standing in as a woman nearby set her young child on the ground. The little girl stared up at Pearl and Lapis with large brown eyes and giggled as Lapis began pulling silly faces for her amusement.  
“Wow Lapis, you’re really good with kids.” Pearl complimented, watching as the little girl’s face lit up with joy.  
“Nah, not really. I just spent a lot of time looking after my younger siblings when I was a teen whilst my parents worked long hours at the convenience store they ran.” Lapis replied, brushing her bangs out of her face. “That was back when I lived in Manila though, so living on my own in an apartment here took some getting used to, at least until I decided to room it up with Peridot.”  
“Wow, having siblings must have been nice.” Pearl wondered aloud, “I was an only child so my days were pretty much spent on schoolwork and getting good grades as my parents had pinned all their hopes on me. They wanted me to be a doctor, but I tell them that being an engineer isn’t so much different.”  
“Do all Asian parents… have a thing for their kids being doctors?” Lapis asked, “I know mine didn’t, but Peridot’s mom still calls her up from time to time to nag at her, it’s so funny, really.”  
“You girls having fun over there?” Amethyst called out loudly from a few feet away where she stood with Jasper and Peridot.  
“Keep your voice down Amethyst!” Peridot chided as several passengers in the subway turned to stare at them, “you’re like low-key famous already so if you’re gonna be this loud, the tabloids might talk shit about you!”  
“Eh, they’re full of shitty news already, like articles about Ariana Grande licking a donut? Who cares, it’d only be news if she got caught licking me out.” Amethyst replied as Peridot shot her an embarrassed look whilst several people nearby simply stared at the purple haired girl in surprise, awe or disgust. Pearl herself could hardly believe that Amethyst was an ex pageant queen, there was something about her seemed so fresh and different from Pearl’s old experiences with beauty queens.  
“Alright, I guess my station’s here so I’ll see you guys soon again!” Pearl said, as she waved to Lapis and the trio who loudly called out their goodbyes.  
“Don’t forget about the party that’s on tomorrow night, its hosted by one of the judges at our panel just now.” Jasper reminded as she waved.  
“Alright, I’ll see you guys there!” Pearl replied, squeezing through the throng of people as she made her way out of the door. Heels clacking against the ground, Pearl brushed her bangs out of her face as they were blown around by the gust of wind stirred up by the subway exiting the station. Her toes were starting to hurt on the way home and she was already feeling a little overwhelmed by the day’s happenings, plus it didn’t help that being around her newfound friends made her feel like she wanted to be as gorgeous them, and yet also passionately make out with them at the same time, these feelings especially applied to Amethyst. Being a rather uptight and occasionally neurotic person herself, Pearl felt herself yearning to be a little more carefree and relaxed like Amethyst, she definitely envied the girl for her effortless cool-factor.  
Gingerly making her way up the stairs to her apartment, Pearl thrust her keys into the lock and threw the door open before prying her shoes off her feet and sinking into the couch with a contented sigh. Reaching into her purse, she pulled out some wipes and her phone and began cleaning her lipstick off as she unlocked the device and scrolled through a list of notifications.  
“Oh no, I forgot to ask for their phone numbers!” Pearl complained as she realized that she would need a ride to party as she had no idea where it would be held at. She reckoned that Rose might have added at least one of them on social media, as Pearl clenched her jaw and looked up Rose’s Instagram and Facebook accounts. “Aha, found them!” she said as she came across two Instagram accounts with the handles @peridotyang and @jaspermartinez. After sending a couple of DMs, she locked her phone before plugging it into a charging dock by the bathroom door. Humming along to the music she had put on, Pearl began removing her makeup and clothes before stepping into the shower. The combination of lather and warm water made her feel more relaxed and at ease as Pearl began singing along to the music. Ever since she was a child, Pearl had always been complemented on her melodious voice, and had even sang in choirs in school before her mother decided that she was better off putting her time into getting good grades and going to medical school. Still in times of sadness, she would often find herself singing along to the radio as music was the one thing that helped her express her negative emotions that she tended to keep bottled up.  
“I have lived my life so perfectly, kept to all my lines so carefully.  
I’d lose everything so I can sing.  
Hallelujah, I’m free, I’m free, I’m free.” She sang as she opened the shower door and wrapped a towel around herself before walking over to the now steamed up mirror. Running the palm of her hand across it’s smooth surface, she wiped off a patch of steam just large enough for her to see the reflection of her face in the mirror. Looking hard at the mirror image of her own face, she began checking her brows for any unruly stray hairs before toweling off her wet hair. She sometimes wondered whether she would be able to get her natural hair colour back if she ever decided to bleach or dye it. Her phone chimed, cutting off her train of thought as Pearl patted her hands dry on her soft pajama shorts and picked up her phone which now bore a notification for a missed facetime call.  
“Shoot, I was supposed to call mom!” she said, wondering how it had even slipped her mind. Pearl supposed it was all due to the stress and excitement of landing a contract.  
“Hi mom!”, she called out, walking over to little breakfast bar she had in her kitchen for a better Wi-Fi signal. “How have you been?”  
“Ah my Pearl, haven’t heard from you in awhile. Your dad and I are doing fine, we’ve spent a lot of time lately going grocery shopping and eating paratha. I do the shopping mostly, while your dad does the eating.” Her mom replied, shaking her head a little which made Pearl laugh. “Pearl, did you get a haircut too? Turn around, I want to see what it looks like from the back.”  
‘Oh yeah, I got in cut two weeks ago, its cool right?” Pearl asked, running her hands through her hair and hoping that her mother would approve of it.  
“It’s so short, like a boy’s haircut. Is this what all your friends are doing too?” her mother asked.  
“Mom, it’s called a pixie cut, and I’ve always wanted to try it since high school. I left the front of it long though so it still frames my face.” Pearl replied, hoping that her mother wouldn’t be too upset. ”This haircut is really low maintenance, there’s no need for straightening or blow drying now.”  
“Well, I have to say, you do look good with it. But if your aunties saw you, they might think that you’re on drugs!” Her mother complained, “Then they’ll start nagging at me to get ahold on you.”  
“Mom, let’s not care about what the aunts think, alright? They’re always complaining about young people aren’t living up to their standards, its like the only thing they do.” Pearl spoke, “Anyway mom, I have good news for you! I got a modelling contract today, but first I had to go for a tryout with a couple of other girls, and everything was really scary. But all of us got the job in the end.” Pearl spoke excitedly, watching as her mother gathered some loose hairs at the nape of her neck and pinned them into place on her head.  
“What about your degree, Pearl? Will you have time to study for your exams?” her mom asked, eyes narrowing with displeasure. “You know how I don’t like it that you’re making money off the way you look. Models make less money than doctors or engineers, don’t you want to be able to live a comfortable life in the future when you’re married?” her mother asked.  
“Mom, I’ll be modelling at gigs so yes I’ll still have time for studying and all.” Pearl tried to reassure her mother, hoping that this conversation wouldn’t go bad. “Also, mom I’m really happy with modelling. After having had people call me ugly and unattractive since I was like five years old, modelling has helped me regain some of my confidence.” Pearl spoke as memories played in her mind’s eye. “Also, I do hope I’ll be able to inspire other young girls and let them know that beauty isn’t something elusive and granted only to girls with curvier bodies and perfect skin.” She continued, hoping that her mom would at least agree with a part of what she was saying.  
“Alright Pearl, I can’t control you anymore. Also, I’ve met a new friend at the library the other day and guess what, she has a son who’s about your age!” her mother exclaimed, as Pearl groaned internally, anticipating talk about marriage coming up soon.  
“Well, you’re a beautiful, well-mannered young lady and I’ve showed him your pictures. He does seem to have an interest in you, I could give you is number if you want and you guys could start talking.” Her mother continued, as Pearl began to wonder if coming out to her family would even be a good idea.  
“Mom, as you’ve said, studying for university is important, and with all of the modelling gigs I have awaiting for me, I don’t think I’ll have a lot of spare time for dating!” Pearl replied, hoping that her mother wouldn’t be too adamant about it. “And mom, I’ve just turned twenty-one, there’s lots of time left for finding a man!”  
“Pearl, it is ideal that you be married in about seven years’ time, and seven years isn’t a lot of time, isn’t it?” her mother retorted. “Why, when I was your age, I was about to be engaged to your father.”  
“Mom, lots of people are getting married in their thirties these days. Rest assured, I will find a man who is also preferably a doctor to be married to in about ten years, alright?” Pearl replied, hoping that her words would appease her mother.”  
“Alright, you should get dinner ready soon Pearl, I’ll have to make some food for your dad now its nearly eight pm. Take care of yourself and do remember to eat more, you’re still so skinny! I thought you’d get fatter on all those ramen noodle dinners and late night takeouts you order.” Her mother complained  
“Mom, I’ve got dad’s skinny genes alright.” Pearl laughed, “take care of yourself too, I’ll visit you guys soon!” she spoke with a wave before the call cut off.  
“Can’t ever please mom, I guess.” Pearl thought as she trudged over to the fridge and searched for leftovers. After a quiet dinner, Pearl lay down on her bed and opened her hibernating laptop before pulling up Netflix and trying to decide whether watching an episode of Game of Thrones or American Horror Story would be better. After going with the latter option, Pearl rolled onto her front and watched as Lady Gaga and Angela Bassett who played vampires on the show, murder people onscreen for their blood. As the hour passed, exhaustion began to catch up on her as Pearl felt her eyelids drooping. Folding her arms and resting her head on them, she tried and failed to keep her eyes open as she drifted into a fitful sleep peppered with strange, fragmented dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song Pearl sings in the shower is Free by Broods, which I find very Pearl-esque tbh


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like 5% of this chapter's low key NSFW
> 
> The dance Pearl and Amethyst have together at the party is based off the moves Buzzfeed's Eugene is pulling at the club here in this video at 6:23 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvN4DwEbapM)

After a particularly weird dream about dogs mopping floors, Pearl’s dreamscape soon switched to that of a bedroom she had never seen before.  
‘Psst, we gotta hide!” a raspy voice called out as a short girl ran into the room and pulled the door shut. “Whatchu looking at? Hurry and get below the bed!” she whispered harshly, dragging Pearl beneath the bedframe with her.  
“What are we doing?” dream Pearl asked.  
“Playing hide and seek, duh!” the girl replied, brushing her lavender hair out of her eyes. “We gotta hide or else Kanye West will find us!”  
“Kanye West? Why are we playing hide and seek with him?” dream Pearl stuttered in confusion before the landscape of the dream shifted and Pearl found herself atop the bed as the girl straddled her waist and started pulling her clothes off.  
In real life, Pearl stirred as the sexy dream played out in her mind’s eye. Squeezing her thighs together, she grinded her hips against the mattress as the purple haired girl began fucking her senseless in the dream. Pearl awoke with a jolt as she felt her neither regions starting to spasm and throb involuntarily as she came, face flushing with embarrassment when she realized that she’d just had a wet dream about Amethyst, whom she had met barely a day ago.  
“Oh no, I’ll feel so embarrassed when I see her again.” Pearl muttered as she placed her laptop on the nightstand and crawled under her duvet. “Why does this always happen to me?” she complained before her phone’s screen lit up and caught her attention. On it was a notification that read “Amethyst Santos (amethystsantos) is now following you”  
“Huhh, I’ll look at it in the morning.” She sighed, before burying her face in her pillow and sinking into a dreamless sleep. 

The next day as Pearl had decided, was rather uneventful as she spent the morning and afternoon cleaning her apartment before treating herself to a couple of episodes of Orange Is The New Black. Sighing with boredom, Pearl decided to get ready for the party early as she marched over to her closet and began rifling through her clothes. After settling on a see through white dress with a slip worn underneath, she started working on her makeup and taking her time to perfect her brows and eyeliner wings right as her phone began buzzing on the table next to her.  
“Hello Pearl,” a baritone female voice spoke on the other end along with a cacophony of other voices cheerfully yelling out their hellos and making Pearl wince as she pulled her phone away from her ear. “oh you guys, be quiet!” the voice on the other end chided before continuing, “Hey this is Jasper, Peridot’s gonna drive by your place to pick you up once we get Amethyst, would you mind texting either of us your address?”  
“Oh yeah, sure I’ll send it to you so Peridot doesn’t get distracted.” Pearl replied.  
“Alright, thank you and we’ll see ya soon!” Jasper said before hanging up.  
Making her way down the stairs and onto the street, Pearl was glad that she had decided to go with wedge heels this time instead of killer heels.  
“Heeeey Pearl!” a voice called out, catching her attention as a black car came rolling down the street before pulling up in front of her. Leaning out of the shotgun seat was Amethyst, who wore a grin on her face as her hair trailed behind her in the breeze. “Get in the back, Lapis can sit in Jasper’s lap if there ain’t enough room for you guys.”  
“I have a bony ass though which isn’t very comfy.” Lapis mused. “Hey Peri, your ass is pretty cushiony, why don’t you try sitting in someone’s lap!” she joked.  
“We can’t have two people in the driver’s seat, you clods!” Peridot yelled as she drove back out into traffic.  
“Nah gurl, we just need some of dat peribooty in our lives, right Lapis?” Amethyst chortled, which led to a lot of laughter and more jokes about butts to come in the next few minutes before the whole group got too winded for any more shenanigans.  
Peering out of the window, Pearl watched as the car pulled into the driveway of a house in a classier part of the city. There were already other people mingling around the porch and others getting out of their cars, decked from head to toe in gorgeous looking pieces that probably came straight off the catwalks.  
“Stop horsing around once we get in there, this is a classy party so we gotta act like Beyonce and save the Lindsay Lohan behavior for the club.” Jasper said as she opened the door on her side and stepped out.  
“Yeah, its party time!” Amethyst whooped, as she stepped out onto the driveway and adjusted her suit. Watching as she buttoned her jacket and fixed her hair which was now held together in a high ponytail, Pearl felt her cheeks heat up as a concoction of lust and embarrassment flooded through her. She turned away quickly before anyone caught side of her reddened face and watched as Peridot shut off the engine and opened the driver’s side door before stepping out and taking Lapis’ hand in her own. “Wait, are they dating for real?” Pearl wondered, hurrying to catch up with the rest as they made their way into the house. Walking a few steps behind, she watched as the lights reflected off the shiny hair and dresses of other partygoers and her friends, who were now clustered around a few servers who were handing them drinks.  
“Hey Pearl, come get some drinks!” Amethyst beckoned and took a glass of the server’s tray before placing it in Pearl’s hand. “Is this your first time at one of these parties?” she asked, downing a gulp of champagne.  
“Yeah, I haven’t gotten my big break yet so it’s really nice of you guys to ask me along.” Pearl replied, hoping that Amethyst would be able to hear her over the din of other people’s voices.  
“Well yeah, this party is only my third. I got invited to my first when I modelled for brands like H&M and Topshop and man, I was so scared that I would mess up and then everybody would think of me as that one weird girl from Venezuela.” Amethyst shared as Pearl took a tentative sip from her champagne glass.  
“But ya know what, while I was sitting on a couch in the corner and just people watching for a bit, Rose came up to be saying that she was feeling a little partied out. We had a little chat and she decided that I was what she and her agency partners were looking for, and with agency partners I mean the ladies who were judging us from their panel the other day.” Amethyst explained.  
“Oh yeah, I recall someone saying that a judge was hosting this party…” Pearl continued before Amethyst cut in with excitement.  
“Yeah! This party is hosted by Ruby and Sapphire. Sapphire’s the blonde lady who asked you to stop on the catwalk. And man, the look of horror on your face was intense. But in your defense, we all thought we screwed up too.” Amethyst shrugged as she placed her now empty glass and led Pearl onto the dancefloor.  
“Wait, you mean the famous supermodels from the early 2000s who recently got married?” Pearl asked, “I swear, I’m so used to seeing Sapphire with her signature pastel blue hair on magazine covers that I couldn’t recognize her with blonde hair, although Ruby did look pretty familiar but I didn’t think too much about it at that point in time.”  
“Yeah, they made headlines in 2001 when they came out and started dating, it was a big deal back then when the only other queer woman in the spotlight was Ellen.” Amethyst spoke with a grin. “I remember being barely six years old when it happened, and feeling really amazed after knowing that two women could get together. We’ve come a long way since then, with ladies like Cara Delevingne and Samira Wiley making all of us question our sexualities nowadays. When I myself came out a year ago, Rose even held a little coming out party where we ate rainbow cakes with sprinkles and even got to meet Ruby and Sapphire’s daughter, Garnet!” Amethyst recalled as she put her arms around Pearl’s waist.  
“Oh, I saw pictures of her with her moms from Milan fashion week, and wow she is such a cute baby!” Pearl gushed as Amethyst began leading her in a dance.  
“Yeah, she was clamoring to wear my aviator shades at the party and refused to take them off until I had to leave and Sapphire made her give them back to me. In the end, I let her keep the sunglasses, I have tons more at home so it’s no big deal.” Amethyst continued, twirling Pearl around her. “Say Pearl, you’ve taken dance classes before huh?” she asked, watching as Pearl spun gracefully on her toes.  
“I’ve been taking ballet classes since I was four, actually.” Pearl replied, “I only just recently stopped because college has been taking up all of my free time, and ballet moves tend to result in heavy bruising of my feet and designers don’t often want to see that in their photos.”  
“Well damn Ms. Swan Lake, you are truly something!” Amethyst exclaimed as her eyes lit up. “You got moves girl, yaaasss work it!”  
“Well your moves aren’t bad too, Ame. Yours remind me of pop music videos and rock concerts, I always wished that I could dance like Shakira.” Pearl giggled, as Amethyst slid herself under Pearl’s legs and began twisting her body in a series of very sexy hip gyrations.  
“Anybody can dance like a pop star, ya wanna try some moves out? I’ll lead ya, so don’t worry.” Amethyst offered, placing her hands on Pearl’s waist. “Now all you gotta do is copy my moves while standing over me so your legs are at a ninety degree angle from the floor.” She instructed, “and give me a series of your best pelvic thrusts!” she whooped, watching as Pearl began gyrating her hips back and forth with a sheepish expression on her face. “And now you add in some circling moves with your hips and werk dat booty!” she whooped.  
“Ah, it’s like twerking in circles, but it feels classier?” Pearl asked, unsure whether she was doing the right thing.  
“Call it whatever you want, but you’re looking pretty good P.” Amethyst complimented. “damn girl, your hips sure don’t lie!” she laughed, slightly out of breathe now due to her vigorous dance moves.  
‘Amethyst, I don’t have hips at all.” Pearl laughed, poking her fingertips into her sides of her body. “One time, I sang Anaconda by Nicki Minaj at a karoke session, and when I got to the part about ‘missing no meals’, everyone else just simply laughed at me. Someone even said that I needed to eat a burger.”  
“Ohmygosh, Pearl you can rap?” Amethyst asked with stars in her eyes, “omg that’s so cool, you gotta rap a few lines for us sometime!” she whooped.  
Pearl laughed, “alright I’ll do it when we’re in a less noisy environment.” She replied, before Amethyst nodded and put her small hand in Pearl’s long, slender one and lead her off the dance floor whilst chattering about being thirsty and needing a drink. Weaving through the crowd, the other partygoers turned into a blur of colour as Pearl’s vision focused on the back of the small girl leading her through the chaos. She watched as Amethyst’s thick ponytail bounced against her body with every step she took, and the way her tailored suit jacket highlighted her small yet strong silhouette. Pearl wanted to wrap her arms around Amethyst’s shoulders and cherish the feeling of soft skin and hard muscle, and take in the way Amethyst blended masculinity and femininity into a cocktail that was uniquely hers.  
Hopping onto the barstool, Amethyst patted the seat beside her and high fived the bartended who proceeded to congratulate Amethyst on her new modelling contract. Whilst they were talking, Pearl decided to take the time to watch and observe the happenings around her. Scanning her eyes across the crowd, she attempted to spot either one of the other three girls they had came with, hoping that a flash of blonde or blue hair would appear amongst the crowd gathered under the purple strobe lights.  
‘Hey, congrats lady, Amethyst here says you both have gotten modelling contracts now, yeah?” the bartender asked with a gap toothed smile.  
“Yeah, that’s how we met actually, I am really looking forward to what the future has in store for me.” Pearl replied with a nod as the woman behind the bar simply twirled around with a flask in her hands and laughed.  
“OH HOHOHO, I haven’t seen Amethyst look this happy in ages, and my you truly are a stunner Pearl. You both will do well indeed, maybe in a year’s time, you’ll be rubbing shoulders with the likes of Tyra Banks!” she whooped, twirling around once more to pour some drinks for Pearl and Amethyst.  
“Why thank you,” Pearl laughed. “You’re not looking too bad yourself.” She complimented, admiring the woman’s classy, formal style which reminded Pearl of Janelle Monae. “I love the way your hair looks, it reminds me of film stars from the 1940s.”  
The bartender laughed again, this time covering her mouth with the gloved tips of her fingers. “My, you sure are a charmer.” She gushed, before placing two cocktails before Pearl and Amethyst.  
Pearl turned to Amethyst, opening her mouth to speak before loud electronic music began blaring out of several large speakers attached to the ceiling.  
“What in the…?” Amethyst asked, whirling around in the direction of the DJ’s table before spotting Peridot behind it.  
“Look, it’s our very own Peri going at it.” She cheered, pointing at the little girl who was now hopping on the spot and pumping her left fist in the air. “Man, she could drop a damn fine single with her skills, all she needs right now is a vocalist.”  
“Well, I could help her out with that…” Pearl suggested, downing her drink as she felt adrenaline rising within her. Taking a deep breath, she stood up and made her way over to the stage, each click of her heels against the marble floor resonated with her pulse. Tonight, she was here to live in the moment, and quit worrying about everything like she usually did.


	5. Chapter 5

‘Yeah P!” Amethyst yelled, before running over to the stage and hopping onto it. Landing beside the DJ’s booth, she picked up the fallen mic on the floor.  
“Hello, hello? I’m sorry ladies, gentlemen and everyone in between for interrupting your fun for a bit, but I heard this awesome music from my main lady, Peridot here and couldn’t help but wonder what it would sound like if she actually had someone sing along to it. Yeah, I’m talking Titanium by Sia people! So give it up, for my favourite new beauty queen on the block, Peaaaaarl!” she yelled, as the crowd cheered upon hearing Pearl’s name.  
Pearl sat up straight in her seat as people began looking at her and chanting her name. Blushing under the purple lights, she squeezed through the crowd and tried to hide her nervousness as she took to the stage.  
“Well hello everyone.” She began with a wave, “well Amethyst here may have asked me to sing along to Peridot’s awesome music. But I have another idea…” she spoke, watching as several people in the crowd cheered. “Are you guys up for a rap?” she asked, smiling as people whooped and cheered loudly.  
“Yeah P, show ‘em how its done!” Amethyst yelled, standing to the side of the stage.  
Clearing her throat, Pearl grinned at Peridot as she began mixing up a new batch of tunes. Taking a deep breath right before the beat dropped, she began.  
“Round and round, let the city turn  
Party in the hills, we can party in the burbs  
Roof on fire, let it burn  
Champagne in my hand, I'm not concerned.”  
People cheered and whooped as Pearl’s heartrate sped up. Being the centre of attention was not something she actively sought out much. And rapping about setting rooftops on fire was certainly very different from marching down runways during fashion shows.  
“The city's so full of hopes and dreams  
If you look real close, it's busting at the seams  
No casting couch, I got my own pad  
You can sell your soul, I bought my own bags  
Cattle calls may break my balls  
Droppin' names never hurt me, see” she rapped along to the music.  
“You’re killing it Pearl!” Amethyst yelled into the din. Looking into the crowd, Pearl spotted a tall woman with cotton candy pink curls tumbling over her shoulders. The woman had her arms crossed over her chest and was grinning proudly as two shorter women standing by her clapped and cheered loudly. This time, Pearl recognized them as Ruby and Sapphire, and she shot them her best million dollar smile from up on the stage.  
“Fifteen minutes with a chance of fame  
Ask anybody and you'll know they'll say  
They all wanna live and die in L.A!” she finished her verse, as the audience went wild and chanted her name so loudly that Pearl’s head spun in a giddy rush of excitement.  
“Yeah, who’s the new queen of rap?!” Peridot asked from behind the DJ table. “Give it up for Peaaaarl!!” she yelled, throwing her arms in the air.  
Hopping off the stage, Pearl found herself surrounded by Lapis, Jasper and Amethyst, all of whom were congratulating her in a buzz of excited voices.  
“That was so unexpected, coming from you. It’s awesome!” Lapis spoke, with a wide grin before Jasper cut in excitedly, “Yeah, you could give Iggy Azalea a run for her money and her weave!” she spoke hurriedly with stars in her eyes.  
“Oh come on Jasp, she’s better than Iggy, Pearl doesn’t slur her words at least!” Amethyst retorted with a laugh.  
“Oh gosh ladies, I’m not that good seriously.” Pearl spoke in an attempt to calm them down.  
“I loved it!” a new voice cut in. Turning around, Pearl caught sight of Rose, Ruby and Sapphire standing behind her.  
“It was, sooo good!” Ruby yelped, “Sapphire and I were ‘shook’, as the kids like to say nowdays.” She continued as Pearl giggled.  
“I can see why Rose was so excited to have found you.” Sapphire started with a small smile as she looked at Pearl from under her long bangs. “Not many girls would have had the guts to pull that off, I know I wouldn’t at the very least.” She joked.  
“You’re a riot, Pearl.” Rose spoke as she patted Pearl on the shoulder. “I can’t wait to start on your photoshoot tomorrow, it’s gonna be great!”  
“Don’t get too partied out girls, we’ll see you guys tomorrow.” Ruby spoke before bidding farewell to the girls.  
“Here’s a toast, to new beginnings!” Amethyst yelled as she came bounding back with a tray of drinks. Handing one to each of them, they clinked their glasses before downing back their glasses of wine. Pearl felt giddy with happiness, she hadn’t had this much fun since freshman year of college. Bobbing to Peridot’s tunes at the side of the stage, Pearl decided that this was an experience she’d like to have again.  
“Pearl, this drink has vodka in it, do you like vodka? Because I don’t, and Amethyst has had enough drinks for tonight.” Lapis spoke.  
“Yeah, I’m good with vodka.” She replied as Lapis handed the drink to her. Downing a mouthful, Pearl felt the alcohol burn the inside of her throat, bringing back memories of the time when she had broken into her parents’ liquor cabinet as a fourteen year old and how her first taste of alcohol had made her feel like her sinuses had been doused with cleaning fluid.  
Fast forward to college, and Pearl had begun living for the burn and lack of inhibition alcohol brought about. It felt freeing to give up the role of “mom friend”, a label she constantly found herself stuck with and become a wild child for the night, at least until her fun was inevitably cut short and she would find herself doubled up and heaving over her dirty communal dorm toilet.  
“Hey P, whatcha thinking about?” Amethyst asked, sidling up to her. “Man you gotta feel bad for poor Peri huh, she hasn’t had a drink for the whole time she’s been here.” Amethyst spoke and nodded in the direction of the stage. “Well, that’s the designated driver life for ya. Also, drunk Peri is a wreck!” she laughed.  
“Oh, what does she do?” Pearl asked, curious about how anybody could be a bigger wreck than she was.  
“One time, she got kicked out of a party because she wouldn’t stop singing Baby One More Time by Britney Spears. And then there was also the time when she imitated Spongebob’s laughter for like three hours, oh boy!” Amethyst guffawed, clutching her stomach as she laughed.  
“It’s getting late, we should leave soon.” Lapis piped, pulling out her phone to check for the time. Looking over at the glowing phone screen, Pearl couldn’t help but notice the giant crack that ran across the screen.  
“Lapis, does your cracked screen cut your fingers when you use it?” Pearl asked with concern.  
‘Oh it’s fine actually, I’ve placed a glass screen protector over it which should tide me over until the new iPhone is released.” She replied. “Some dick tried to assault me in the street one night, and I punched him in the face without realising that I was also holding my phone in my hand.”  
“Man Lappy, that’s hardcore!” Amethyst spoke with awe. “Did you get away safely though?” she continued.  
“Yeah, I got into my car and managed to drive away. It was scary though…” she replied, wrapping an arm around herself as she pushed through the now smaller crowd and led the way out of the dance floor.  
“Wow, that was fun huh?” Peridot asked, buzzing with excitement as she re-joined their little group. “Did I miss out on much?”  
“Yeah, you missed out on the cocktails, and the chance to flip people off.” Amethyst piped as she nudged Peridot in the side.  
“Aw man, cocktails would have been good, but then you guys would have nobody to drive you home.” She spoke and puffed out her chest.  
“We could always crash in the car, and have like a sleepover or something.” Lapis suggested as she wound her arm into the crook of Peridot’s.  
“Oh man, I haven’t had a sleepover since forever!” Amethyst piped, “guys, since we’re all gonna be at the same place tomorrow, say what about an impromptu sleepover huh?” she spoke with excitement as Jasper threw open the door of Peridot’s car and climbed into the backseat. Trailing behind the others, Pearl watched as Lapis claimed the shotgun seat, leaving her and Amethyst with the backseat.  
“Yeah, I’m up for it. Your place or mine Ame?” Peridot asked before looking over at Lapis for approval.  
“Mah place, party at the Ame crib!” Amethyst whooped before bursting into laughter. “Oh this is gonna be great, I love you guys so much!”  
“Well I call dibs on the couch, we can’t all fit into your bed.” Jasper said, smiling with excitement at the idea of a sleepover.  
“I’m good as long as you’ve got makeup remover at your place.” Lapis piped from the front, “I can’t go to bed with all these stuff on my face and expect to wake up tomorrow with clear skin.”  
“Yes princess Lappy, the Ame crib never runs out of makeup remover.” Amethyst sang. “Hey Pearl, ya wanna sit on my lap?”she teased and patted her thigh, giggling as Pearl stopped in her tracks. Already feeling tipsy and still riding on her high from earlier, Pearl grinned and plunked herself in Amethyst’s lap.  
“Why yes Amethyst, thank you very much for your offer.” She spoke, watching as Amethyst’s playful expression morphed into that of surprise. Up in the front, Peridot cheered loudly, “Yeah, Ame’s finally getting some!” before revving up the engine and driving down the boulevard. From her spot on Amethyst’s lap, waves of embarrassment began washing over Pearl as she realised how uncomfortable her position was. Her back was pressed against the door whilst her feet were tucked under the seat so she wouldn’t end up impaling Jasper in the thigh with her heels. With one arm around Amethyst’s shoulders to steady herself, Pearl tried not to make things awkward by pretending to relax and trying not to stare too hard at Amethyst’s face. Watching as Jasper scrolled through her phone and Lapis kissed Peridot on the cheek every time they stopped at a traffic light, Pearl attempted to shift into a slightly more comfortable position and silently prayed to the booty gods that her butt bones weren’t stabbing Amethyst in the thighs.  
“Hey Pearl, you haven’t followed me back on Instagram and Snapchat yet!” Amethyst piped. “My handle’s @amethystsantos.” She continued, as Pearl dug through her purse and retrieved her phone.  
“Oh yea, I saw that you followed me in the middle of the night, I’m sorry, it completely slipped from my mind this morning.” Pearl apologized.  
“Nah you don’t have to be sorry, I just wanna send you crazy memes and lame videos like I do with the rest.” She laughed.  
“We once had a group chat and all they did was send each other Kermit memes, I had to put my phone on mute for a week thanks to them.” Jasper complained.  
“Hey, Kermit is frog bae!” Peridot retorted from the front, “Also Lapis, remember when we first became roommates and you found out that my morning alarm basically goes ‘JOHN CENAAAA!!!’ at 7am every day?”  
“I wanted to throw your phone into the garbage, at least until I realized that the John Cena meme worked really well at waking me up.” Lapis chortled.  
“Yeah, your morning alarm was set to Style by Taylor Swift and that shit never worked.” Peridot agreed.  
“Well my morning alarm is set to the opening of the Lion King, pretty sure it could even wake the neighbours.” Pearl spoke with a grin, before Amethyst opened her mouth and sang a really bad rendition of it. “There, loud enough to wake ya Pearl?” she asked.  
“You can wake me up tomorrow if you want.” Pearl suggested with a wink, feeling her palms start to sweat as she anticipated Amethyst’s reaction to her lousy flirting, if it was even considered as flirting, she wondered.  
“Hell yeah, you’ll have me screaming in your face tomorrow Pearly.” Amethyst teased and watched as Jasper made a face at her. “What, I give all of you guys nicknames. There’s Jaspy, Lappy, Peri, and now we have Pearly!”  
“You make us sound like we’re the Seven Dwarves, honestly.” Peridot commented, “althought I must say, Peri sounds a lot better than Jaspy or Lappy.” She continued with a laugh as she swerved round a bend in the road with her tires screeching.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song Pearl sings/raps is The Party by L.A. which features Deedee Magno Hall (Pearl's VA)  
> Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXkCXuDxV78


	6. Chapter 6

Pulling up at Amethyst’s apartment, Pearl managed to open the car door despite facing away from it before gingerly getting off Amethyst’s lap and managing to not kick anybody in the face.   
Pulling the keys out of the ignition before locking the doors, Pearl watched as the partied out group gathered on the sidewalk before Peridot yelled, “last one up is a clod!” and made for the direction of the lobby.  
“I regret not getting her wasted now.” Jasper sighed, “we’ll never have peace if she’s sober.” Piling into the elevator, they stood in silence before it dinged and came to a shaky stop on the fourth floor.  
“Welcome to my crib ladies!” Amethyst chortled as she led the trio to her front door, where Peridot stood with a triumphant grin on her face.  
“All of you are clods, ahahaha!” she laughed, “I call dibs on that spare mattress you have in the closet!”  
“Alright alright ladies, I know you’re excited, but lemmie get my keys alright.” Amethyst spoke, digging through the pockets of her jacket. “Y’all gotta take off your shoes too, I like to keep my floors clean and tidy for my yoga sessions.”  
“I didn’t peg you as the type who’d be into yoga though.” Pearl spoke, watching as Amethyst laughed and replied, “I could give you a demonstration tonight, I’ve been working on the downward dog pose lately.”  
“Is that the one where your butt’s raised all high in the air?” Peridot asked, as Amethyst patted her butt and laughed, “well mah booty’s gotta have a chance to see what the view from up there is like.” Eyes following trailing towards Amethyst’s hand which was placed on her butt, Pearl couldn’t help but admire how curvy Amethyst’s body was, before wondering what having a round ass would be like. Certainly, she’d have no need for butt pads and all that crazy stuff she’d been subjected to in the past.  
Upon setting foot into Amethyst’s apartment, the first thing Pearl noticed were boxes, loads of them were lined against the walls and scattered over the floor. Every single one of them was filled to the brim with an array of random stuff which made Pearl wonder whether Amethyst was a closeted hoarder.  
“Excuse me ladies but I wasn’t expecting guests, but at least my stuff’s in boxes and not dumped all over the floor.” She purple haired girl explained as she unzipped her ankle boots and padded off into the closet on socked feet. “If you guys need anything, feel free to help yourselves while I get the spare mattress”, she called out through gritted teeth as Peridot ran off to help her.  
“Feels good to get out of those heels,” Lapis said as she wriggled her toes. “And now for my makeup…” she continued before heading down the hall where the bathroom was.   
“Wow, how does one person have this much… stuff?” Pearl asked as she checked out the row of boxes lined along a wall by the tv. “It appears that she’s even arranged them, like this box is full of round stuff, and that one over there is filled with framed pictures?”  
“Amethyst’s place used to be a total dump, she had so much stuff everywhere that you could barely see the floor at all. But she had an accident one night where she stepped on something sharp and cut her foot real badly, which then resulted in Lapis and Peri having to send her to the ER at 3am in the morning.” Jasper explained, looking around at some boxes filled with R&B albums. “I guess she learnt her lesson after that and dumped everything into boxes so the floor ain’t a minefield anymore.”   
“Oh gosh, that must have been terrible.” Pearl replied, wondering just how bad the mess had been.  
“It was a bloodbath according to Peridot, but there again homegirl is known for exaggerating nearly everything she talks about so I wouldn’t take her word for it.” Jasper sighed, before Peridot yelled from the closet, “I heard someone say my name out there!”  
“Yeah Peridot, I was just telling Pearl about the time you had to drive Amethyst to the ER.” Jasper yelled back.  
“Ooooh boy, that was a heck of an adventure!” Peridot exclaimed, “Amethyst made me go on a McDonald’s run after that, I’ve never seen anybody so ready for fast food after losing a shit ton of blood.”  
“Eh, what can I say, fries are life.” Amethyst shrugged as the duo placed the mattress in the middle of the living room.   
“Hey Lapis, the bed is ready!” Peridot screamed down the hall as Lapis’ muffled voice yelled her reply through the bathroom door.  
“Man, I sure hope she doesn’t snore up a storm tonight.” Jasper grumbled as she pulled out some makeup wipes and began cleaning her mascara off at the kitchen sink. “I don’t even know how you can sleep through all that noise, Peridot.”  
Watching the scene from her spot on the couch, Pearl mentally ran through her nightime routine before realising that she hadn’t called dibs on a place to sleep for the night, did this mean that she would have to sleep on the floor?  
“Uh Amethyst, do you happen to have any more spare mattresses, or couches?” Pearl asked, hoping that Amethyst would tell her that yes she had someplace for her to sleep.  
“Well you could always have that mattress that I stole from my roommate back in Boulder, cuz we’re never getting older.” Amethyst sang with a smirk, making Peridot laugh from her spot in the middle of the bed where she sat crisscross applesauce.  
“What, Amethyst I’m being serious. I’ll take a couple of blankets or towels over the floor any day.” Pearl replied, feeling unamused at Amethyst’s jokes.  
“Alright alright, I have a double bed so we can share if you don’t mind. I promise not to steal the sheets or kick you off during the night.” The smaller girl replied, trying to be as reassuring as she could.  
“I’m alright with sharing, as long as you’re okay with it. I’d hate to you know, disrupt your night…” Pearl stuttered as Amethyst laughed before bounding over to Pearl. “Hey, sharing is caring, didn’t you ever watch those Care Bear cartoons when you were a kid?”  
“Hey girls, the bathroom’s free.” Lapis announced, walking past them clad in a camisole and some boyshorts before plunking herself on the mattress next to Peridot.  
“Hey Peri, I can loan you some PJs if you want, since you’re probably the only one here who won’t complain that my clothes are too short for their bodies.” Amethyst suggested, before turning to Pearl, “I could loan you some sweatpants too, since you’re in a dress and all though they might look like capris on you.” Making Pearl suddenly feel very aware of how short her dress was.   
“Yeah I could use some pants, thank you Amethyst.” Pearl spoke with a small smile, before Amethyst patted her arm and headed for her bedroom. Stepping onto the cool tiled floor of the bathroom, Pearl looked at the reflection of her face in the mirror for a few minutes before she began cleaning off her foundation. Once that was done, she attempted to brush her teeth with her finger and cleaned herself up as best as she could. Clad in just her slip, Pearl headed for Amethyst’s bedroom, where she found her friend sprawled out on half of the queen sized bed and clad in t shirt and dolphin shorts with her hair wound in a messy bun atop her head.  
“Hey, there are your pants, these are the longest ones that I have.” She announced, rolling over onto her back and pointing to the grey sweatpants lying next to her. Sliding her legs into the pants, Pearl noted how soft the material was as she sat cross legged on the other side of the bed before someone came running up to the door.  
“Amethyst, there’s a bulbasaur in your kitchen!” Peridot exclaimed as she stood in the doorway clad in just her dress shirt and a pair of lace panties.  
“Gosh Peri, you’re still playing that game? Here, take my phone and get it for me then.” Amethyst replied with a laugh. “Man, she’s my main nerd.” She said, turning towards Pearl as she lifted the covers up and tucked herself under them. Pearl watched for a moment before she followed suit. Placing her phone on the nightstand, she rolled onto her back and sighed.  
“So, how did you meet Rose anyway?” Amethyst asked in a soft, raspy voice.   
“Well, we met on Tinder actually, odd as that may sound.” Pearl explained. “It was a pretty rough time for me as I’d just been rejected from a couple of agencies I’d applied too, so I went on Tinder, thinking that maybe I should have some fun to distract myself for a bit. And then I matched with Rose and she told me that she was scouting for candidates and that I was just what she was looking for.” She said, watching as Amethyst listened and nodded from time to time.  
“I felt really flattered when she said that, especially since every other agency had rejected me on the basis that I wasn’t attractive enough. So I hit her up and then she took me to the audition where I met you guys.”  
“Wow P, I can’t believe that anyone would call you unattractive. I mean, when you walked into the room the other day, I was just like “wow, this girl has such pretty eyes, and she’s so tall!” Amethyst laughed as a slight blush rose in her cheeks. “And man, you looked great on the runway too. The way you walked was just so classy and graceful, it’s no wonder that Sapphire decided that she’d give you a contract before you were even done with your walk.”  
“Amethyst, that’s so sweet of you to say that. Thank you.” Pearl gushed, feeling happy and slightly overwhelmed by Amethyst’s words. “Ame, you worked it really well on the runway too. You’re just so fierce and unapologetic, and you’ve got that whole bad girl vibe going on with you, which reminds me of Rihanna actually.” Pearl returned the compliment.   
“Me? Rihanna? No way Pearl, you’re being too nice here.” Amethyst exclaimed as she laughed, “I love Rihanna though, she’s so cool. And I used to have a huge crush on her when I was like thirteen, she had this really cute pixie cut then, I have a soft spot for girls with short hair ya know.” She explained with a shrug.  
Running her fingers along the sides of her head, Pearl mentally noted that her cropped haircut was indeed very short and wondered whether Amethyst liked it too. “Yeah, I think women with short hair are very sexy indeed, as it shows off your jawline and neck. Not that I’m saying I look good with it though, my chin isn’t very angular…” Pearl spoke as she turned her head to the side to show Amethyst her jaw.   
“What are you talking about Pearl, your haircut makes you look really cute! I love how it has a little tuft at the back that sticks up. Ooooh you gotta show me more pictures of your haircuts!” Amethyst gushed as Pearl unplugged her phone from the charging cord and scrolled through her camera roll for old pictures.  
“Well, I used to have a haircut that looked like Miley Cyrus’ pixie from 2014.” She said, showing Amethyst a picture of her that was taken about a year ago.  
“Oh man Pearl, Peridot’s been wanting a haircut like this since forever. You gotta talk her into actually doing it because she’s been going on about getting her hair cut for like months now.” Amethyst spoke with excitement before the phone in Pearl’s hand chimed three times. Swiping across the screen to open the notification centre, Pearl frowned as she read the three new incoming messages.  
“What’s up?” Amethyst asked as she noticed Pearl’s change in expression.  
“Ugh, my mom’s met this lady who has a son my age. She thinks that he’ll be the perfect man for me solely because he is a medical student and now she’s gone and given him my number. Honestly Amethyst, I don’t even want a man in my life, I’ve never even had thoughts about getting myself a boyfriend when all of my friends were getting partnered up with guys.” Pearl complained as she locked her phone and tossed it on the bed in front of her.   
“Gosh P, that’s rough, just tell him that he’s got the wrong number.” Amethyst suggested. “The last time my mom came over to visit, I got one of my friends to pretend that he was my boyfriend, and boy did my mom fall for it. She even asked when the wedding was.” She laughed. “My mom would never speak to me again if she knew that I’ve flicked more hot girls’ beans in my life than a baked bean manufacturer.” She continued with a forlorn look in her eyes even as her lips still bore a small smile on them.  
“I like how you put it. Flicking them beans... hmm.” Pearl spoke. “Amethyst, can I trust you with this?” she asked tentatively, as the purple haired girl perked up.  
“Yeah gurl, you can count on me.” Amethyst reassured, “You can shave my eyebrows off if I ever break the promise.”  
“Alright then. So, althought I’ve spent my whole life watching women kiss men on tv and been told that I should only ever date men, I’ve always found myself gravitating towards other women. I even fell in love with my college roommate and we dated for a year before her conservative parents found out and made her change schools.” Pearl said softly as she hung her head. “And every time my mother calls me up and tells me about the new neighbour’s son, or the handsome student doctor she met at the hospital, I just feel like screaming and coming out once and for all. But I never had the guts to do so for all these time…” She sighed and propped her chin with one hand, “I know I shouldn’t feel ashamed of my sexuality, but that’s what the world has taught me to feel. I’m afraid that if I come out, I’ll shock people, and scare them so bad that they will not want anything to do with me.” She lamented. “I’m sorry for the rant Amethyst, but I do hope you understand.”  
“Pearl…” Amethyst whispered, brushing away a tear that had slipped out of her eye and was now rolling down the smooth expanse of her pale face. “I’ll be here for you, I’m your friend now and I’ve got your back. Coming out ain’t easy and I’m still working on mine because I’m afraid that people will not accept me and they’ll start being mean to me. But coming out in a world filled with hatred and cruelty is basically a giant ‘fuck you’ to the haters, ya know.” She said with her hand on Pearl’s shoulder.  
“Thank you Amethyst.” She said softly, as the smaller girl laughed softly and said, “you look like you need a hug, do you want one?”  
“Yes, you don’t know how much I appreciate you Amethyst, for just listening to me. Most people tell that I’m a coward for not coming out sooner, or they’ll just reaction with confusion and disgust when they find out that I don’t do men.” She spoke, burying her nose into Amethyst’s shoulder and taking in the scent of detergent on her shirt. Pearl could feel Amethyst nodding her head as her chin bumped into Pearl’s shoulder, and there they stayed in each other’s embrace, holding on as what felt like eons passed. This was a whole new experience for Pearl, for never had she let her guard down in front of someone she had just met barely a few days ago. For most of her life, Pearl had been busy putting up thick walls around herself as she feared showing others how truly vulnerable she could be. Tearing down some of those walls felt nice, it made her feel more human, and less like she was living an image she had built for herself.  
“You wanna lie down?” Amethyst asked, “or we can stay sitting here all night if you want, but I might fall asleep and drool on your shoulder if I’m not careful.”  
“Oh I’m so sorry Amethyst for keeping you up!” Pearl apologized and turned away as she felt her face heat up. Turning out the lamp on her side of the bed, she settled under the covers and stared at the ceiling before feeling a prod on her shoulder.  
“We can continue with our hug if you need it, you still look kinda sad.” She trailed, before Pearl nodded and uttered a quiet yes. Rolling over onto her side, Pearl could feel Amethyst’s strong arms around her and puffs of warm breath hitting the back of her neck. She lay awake there for a while, just thinking about what she had said earlier, and everything that had happened in her life leading up to this moment where she’d found herself lying in the same bed as her incredibly attractive new friend and possible co-worker. The room fell silent as Amethyst stopped fidgeting, leaving Pearl awake in a silent world occasionally interrupted by the sounds of cars driving past and late night partygoers hooting in the street below. This was new and unknown territory Pearl was venturing into, but she did not feel afraid of what was to come.


	7. Chapter 7

Shuddering under the piercing gaze of the woman before her, Pearl felt all shreds of bravery she could gather from within her shrivel up.  
“Pearl, all you have to do is stand around for the camera and look pretty, but you know you’re not as pretty as the other girls, huh?” The woman spoke coldly from behind her desk as Pearl flinched. “Do you actually believe than you can change our minds, and make us see beauty in you and your bunch of pathetic excuses for models? Millennials like you are so naïve, and so full of hope, when will you ever take off your rose tinted glasses and see that in the race for perfection, some people make it to the finish line, while others like you will just be trampled into the mud.”  
“Ms. Diamond, all I’m hoping to do here is inspire other girls like me to not feel bad about the way they look. Growing up was painful for me, and I’m sure it wasn’t easy for my friends either. Rose was the first person who told me that I’m perfect, just the way I am, and I want to send the same message to younger girls out there…”  
“Rose only said that because she wants you in her agency of freaks!” the woman thundered. “Pearl, I hope someday in the future, you’ll look back and realise not working for me was the biggest mistake you’ve ever made.” She said as the image before Pearl’s eyes dissipated and she found herself staring at a couch covered in clothes and books as dust motes floated in the sunlight before her.  
“Wha?” she stuttered, propping herself on her elbow as she sat up in the empty bed. Pearl felt a tinge of sadness when she realised that Amethyst had woken up and left her alone in the room. Walking out of the bedroom in search of Amethyst, Pearl tiptoed down the hall towards the kitchen, figuring that Amethyst might have gone to get something to eat. The tiny apartment was nearly silent save for the steady breathing of Peridot, Lapis and Jasper.  
Pearl sighed, seeing as the kitchen was empty before even entering it. Walking over to her purse which was apparently left on the kitchen table, Pearl fished through it for the little bottle of water she always carried around with her and took a sip. Looking in the direction of her sleeping friends, Pearl smiled a little at the sight of Jasper, whose slumber was totally unbothered even as her long platinum blonde hair had gotten piled on her face. Downing another mouthful of water, she looked towards the mattress where Peridot and Lapis slept, looking adorable and very much in love with each other as Lapis had her arms wrapped around Peridot’s middle, snoring soundly as Peridot was curled up snugly in her embrace.  
Heading back towards the bedroom, Pearl sighed at sat on the edge of the bed before reaching for her phone to check the time. She had awoken forty minutes before her alarm was due to go off, perhaps she could start getting ready for the shoot early.  
“Hey Pearl, awake already?” Amethyst asked as she bounded into the room, “I’m sorry for leaving you alone, but I woke up and had to take a piss real bad.” She explained.  
“Oh its alright, I just had a crazy dream and if you didn’t get out of bed, I might have woken up and scared you.” Pearl reassured, as Amethyst hopped onto the bed and rolled onto her front, propping her head in her hands.  
“Hmm, what kinda crazy dream huh?” she asked.  
“You know, before I met Rose, I used to work with another agency. But things there were difficult… The other girls would constantly mock me for my skin and lack of any curves while others would be jealous because I had an easy time staying skinny. It was a constant race of being the golden girl in our agency’s eyes as she would be the one who’d get the best gigs and opportunities. I felt myself breaking a little every day as I swallowed cotton balls in the dressing room and fought over things like blow dryers with the other girls. So one day, I decided that enough was enough, and I spoke to the boss of the agency and requested to break my contract.” Pearl recounted.  
“Man, that sounds like utter hell.” Amethyst commented, “I’m sorry you had to deal with all that, but hey at least you’re in a better place now amirite?”  
“Yeah, but I remember the boss of the agency telling me that no matter where I go, I’ll always be treated as the ugly girl, with skin too pale and an overly pointy nose. I guess I’m just afraid that what she said will be true.” Pearl explained with a shrug.  
“Well you know what, if anyone is gonna think that they are entitled to be mean to you. All you gotta do is let me know about it, and I’ll get the rest to help me steal their clothes from the dressing room so they’ll have to go home in their skivvies.” Amethyst suggested with a giggle. “Can you imagine that? It’ll be a sight!”  
Before Pearl could give Amethyst a reply however, the loud din of a hip hop song began resonating through the apartment.  
"Wake up in the morning feeling like P Diddy  
Grab my glasses, I'm out the door, I'm gonna hit the city”  
“Damn, is that someone’s phone going off?" Amethyst asked before running out into the hall. Following behind her, Pearl saw that the trio who were previously sound asleep had all been awoken as Peridot bore an irritated expression while swiping the screen of her phone to shut off the noise.  
“Huh, did you have to use a Kesha song for our alarm?” Lapis moaned before rolling over onto her front. “Give me five more minutes alright.”  
“Well, someone deleted the John Cena soundtrack from my phone, so you guys gotta deal with Kesha now.” Peridot spoke as she yawned and stretched her arms. ‘Hey Lapis, you still got that spare toothbrush in your purse?” she asked as the blue haired girl simply nodded without saying a thing.  
The next hour went by quickly as the five of them attempted to get ready as quickly as possible so that they’d have time to stop by their apartments to get their clothes for the day, as well as other stuff they might need. After taking a quick shower, Pearl felt her mood lift as she opened the car door and stepped into the backseat.  
“We’re driving again because I don’t wanna show up for the shoot all sweaty, the situation in the trains is always insane at this time in the morning.” Peridot explained from the driver’s seat as she sipped her iced coffee and watched as Jasper expertly put on her mascara without it clumping up.  
“Don’t bother winging your eyeliner today Jasp, they’ll redo your makeup again later.” Peridot piped up as she finished applying a coat of jewel toned dark green lipstick onto her lips. Sitting next to her in the shotgun seat was Lapis, who grumbled under her breath as she attempted to fix the various cowlicks in her hair..  
“Should I just grow out my hair so this doesn’t have to happen every morning?” she asked, huffing as she simply ran her hands through her hair and fluffed it out.  
“No, you look cute actually.” Peridot replied, and giggled as Lapis kissed her on the cheek.  
“Alright lovebirds, we gotta drive like the wind because traffic is gonna be a pain in the arse.” Amethyst announced as she opened the Google Maps app on her phone.  
On the journey there, Pearl’s mind raced through all the possible things that could happen that day. Maybe she’d have to put on a ridiculous costume?  
“Do you know what today’s photoshoot will be about?” she asked Amethyst, who narrowed her eyes as she thought for a bit before saying “I heard that its going to be based around myths and legends. Hey, maybe they’ll dress us as ancient goddesses or something! I call dibs on the goddess of food, if there is one.” Amethyst announced.  
“Nice, I wanna be the goddess of the sea!” Lapis chimed in, “or maybe they’ll let me be a mermaid. What about you guys?” she asked.  
“I can be the goddess of Doritos.” Peridot commented, making Amethyst laugh. “Nah Peri you’re the goddess of nerds!”  
Pulling up at the building where their photoshoot would be conducted, the girls hopped out of the car before making their way into the lobby where Rose sat, talking with the director of the shoot.  
“Hello girls, my you guys look great today!” he cheerfully greeted with sparkling eyes. “Rose has been absolutely hyping over you guys for the last ten minutes and she has given me some of her thoughts about the theme of today’s shoot. Shall we get started?” he asked and clasped his hands together.  
“Yeah!” Amethyst and Peridot cheerfully replied as the director led them into one of the walkways that led to a large open room with cameras and lights set up in it.  
“I guess I haven’t introduced myself to you guys,” he chuckled as a woman who wore her hair in a braid who was supervising the set walked over and joined him. “My name is Steven and this is Connie. Together, we’ve been working on a clothing line that will soon be available at many affordable high street and department stores.” He announced as the woman waved at the group before her. “So today, you guys will be modelling several of the formal and casual pieces we’ve designed.” She continued, gesturing to a clothing rack behind her, “and we plan to theme each shoot on the myths and histories behind your names.  
“Wow, my name? That’s a cool concept!” Lapis piped, “I don’t think anyone’s done that before!”  
“We might be the first to do on a shoot based on the model’s names then!” Steven laughed, “But I couldn’t help notice how all of you have really pretty names!”  
“Eh, Iggy Azalea and I share the same first name, but man thank you!” Amethyst continued with a laugh.  
“Alright, I’ll take you guys to the dressing room to get your outfits, then we can get your makeup done and ready before Steven starts photographing you guys, alright?” Connie asked as she led them into the backstage area where several people rushed about with clothes and makeup brushes in hand. Upon catching sight of the models, the team of makeup artists immediately descended upon them and led each person to a different station.  
After being led behind a partition in one corner of the room, Pearl was instructed to put on an iridescent bodycon dress than grazed her ankles and had cutouts in the sides and slits that ran high up the sides of her legs, baring the pale skin of her waist and hips. Stepping gingerly out from behind the partition lest the high slits of her dress shifted and accidentally bared her private areas to everyone in the room, Pearl sat herself down in front of the makeup artists who wasted no time in prepping her face for the shoot. As a hairstylist worked on her hair, Pearl spotted Amethyst and Peridot over in the other end of the room, smiling excitedly as their bodies were being painted. Curiosity rose in Pearl as she watched a couple of people cover Peridot’s upper body and arms with orange tongues of fire and swirls of flames that made her look as though she were ablaze. Amethyst on the other hand, had about two-thirds of her body painted in varying shades of purple that ranged from near white to indigo while her thighs and legs were left as they were before, making her look as though she was transforming into the gem she had been named after, perhaps that was Steven and Connie’s vision afterall?  
“Alright, we’re done with you now Pearl. You can head out to the main area first while we work on the rest.” The makeup artist said, as she gestured over to a team of people in the midst of painting golden stars and constellations onto Lapis’ body. “Your friends are definitely gonna take some time for us to work on.” She commented before hustling Pearl out into the main area.  
Stepping out into the high ceilinged room once again, Pearl watched as several sets had been set up at various spots with lights and cameras trained on them. Amazement flooded through her as she spotted a set complete with a mock volcano, and another that had a miniature cityscape..  
“Hey, we’re the only ones done huh?” Jasper asked, walking out of the backstage area clad in a cropped tank that showed off her hard work at the gym. “Are we supposed to wait for the rest or?” she asked, jabbing her thumb in the direction of the doorway.  
“Yeah, I’m done!” Amethyst whooped, “Hey guys!” she called out as she skipped out of the doorway clad in a short white dress. “Man, those sets sure are pretty, check out that one with the giant seashell!” she said while pointing at one of the sets to Pearl’s right.  
“Connie told me that my shoot was going to be based on the Egyptian goddess, Isis. People used to believe that jasper stones originated from her blood, which would then make the land around the Nile fertile.” Jasper explained, as Amethyst wrinkled her nose.  
“Blood? Gross!” she laughed. “my makeup artists told me that my shoot is gonna be based on the Greek myth of how amethysts came about, which is pretty dang cool.”  
“Girls, we’ll start with your shoots first, alright?” Connie asked as she walked over to the little group by the door. “Amethyst, you can head over to where Steven is, and I’ll photograph you, Jasper.” She explained. “Pearl, you’ll be up once either of them are done, you can hang out at the chairs over there where we have coffee, tea and juice. Feel free to help yourself!” she spoke cheerfully.


	8. Chapter 8

“Alright!” Amethyst whooped before bounding over to where Steven was in the midst of directing two other extras on the set before him. The female extra was armed with a silver bow and a quiver of arrows while the male had grapevines wound in his hair and carried a pitcher with him. Pearl watched as Amethyst knelt between them before the woman with the bow placed her fingertips lightly on Amethyst’s shoulder and the man tipped his pitcher over her head. The cameras went off several times before Pearl realised that Amethyst and the two models were recreating a scene from ancient Greek folklore where a girl had been turned into a quartz statue by the goddess Artemis before wine was poured over her, staining the clear quartz purple and turning it into amethyst.  
Out of the corner of her eye, Pearl spotted Peridot and Lapis clad in cutout dresses and exiting the backstage area. “Golly, they’re gonna let me a volcano goddess for today!” Peridot spoke as she and Lapis made their way over to where Pearl sat. “Really, is that why you look as though you’re on fire?” Lapis asked before taking a seat beside Pearl, who couldn’t help but gape at the intricacy of the galaxies and constellations painted upon a cobalt blue canvas on Lapis’ skin.  
“Lapis, I love what they did with your bodypaint.” Pearl complimented, watching as the blue haired girl simply chuckled and replied, “Well, ancient civilisations believed that lapis lazuli stones had a connection with the heavens and were used to honour many deities throughout history. And all these time, I simply thought my parents named me Lapis as a joke!”  
“Well my dad named me Peridot simply because I was born in August. And after we learnt about birthstones, kids at school would tease me about it.” Peridot huffed, “but nobody’s gonna be laughing when they see me rising out of a volcano!” she exclaimed.  
“Eh, is your skirt supposed to be the volcano?” Lapis asked, pointing to the dark green midi dress that swirled around Peridot’s thighs and ended below her knees.  
“Yeah! Turns out that peridots are formed from volcanic eruptions, and were believed to be the tears of Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes.” She spoke before pointing to the tiny green rhinestones that had been glued below her eyes.  
“Hey Lapis, Connie says you’re next.” Jasper called out as she strode over to one of the chairs and sank into it with a sigh.  
“Woah, is that blood or paint?” Peridot asked as she scampered over to check out the rivulets of red that had been streaked over Jasper’s skin.  
“It’s paint, I would be dead if it had been my blood.” The taller woman replied before she leant back in her chair and watched Connie strap a pair of metallic golden wings onto Lapis’ back before a tech standing nearby fixed suspension cords onto her body and hoisted her a good few feet of the ground.  
“Is she supposed to be an angel? Because hell nawl, she ain’t no angel!” Jasper complained.  
“She’s supposed to represent the heavens and all the deities who ruled over the sky, I think.” Peridot replied as she jiggled her legs restlessly. “Also, what do you think of my flames, Jasper?” she asked, sticking her arms in front of her friend’s face.  
“They’re smokin’.” Jasper replied with a laugh. “Hey Pearl, I bet the giant seashell one is gonna be your set!” she said before continuing, “because pearls come from oysters!”  
“Yeah, Steven said I did great!” Amethyst yelled as she returned and plonked into the seat on Pearl’s right. Dude, I never knew that my name had a story behind it.” She continued before helping herself to some sponge cakes sitting by the coffeepot.  
“Peridot, c’mon!” Steven called out as the blonde girl hopped onto her feet and over to where he stood in front of the set with the mock volcano. Pearl decided that this probably meant that she would be called up next, and watched as Peridot perched atop the volcano. Her dress seemed to resemble foliage growing on the sides of the mountain, making her upper body appear like a column of molten flames rising out of the volcano’s crater. Looking over to the other side of the room, Pearl watched as Connie photographed Lapis who appeared to the tumbling through the night sky on golden wings and thoroughly enjoying herself.  
Getting herself a cup of iced tea, Pearl watched as the cameras flashed and listened as Amethyst and Jasper cheered their friends on with quotes from RuPaul’s drag race.  
“Pearl, you’re next!” Steven called out as Peridot slid off the mock volcano and hurried back to her seat. Following Steven over to the final set which contained a large seashell, she listened as Steven explained what her photoshoot would symbolise and gave her suggestions for a variety of poses she could use.  
“The seashell thing may seem a little cheesy, but people have been cultivating pearls for hundreds of years so they have a better understanding of where they come from. Today, I’ve decided to go with the tale of pearls being formed in oysters during thunderstorms, because the other popular legends about pearls all involve fighting dragons and we don’t exactly have the budget for that.” He explained sheepishly, running a hand through his curly black hair.  
“Oh it’s alright, the seashell reminds me of the Birth of Venus actually.” Pearl reassured as she tugged on her gown and stood in the centre of the giant shell.  
“Right, that looks great! You appear as though you’re rising out of the shell.” Steven complimented as he took his place on the other end of the camera’s lenses and clicked away. Switching up her pose, Pearl chose to lay down in the shell this time and propped herself up on her left elbow.  
“Gosh Pearl, I see why Rose was so hyped over you.” Steven commented as he continued photographing her.  
“Yeah P, work it!” Amethyst yelled from across the room, making Pearl feel a little self-conscious as she realised that pretty much her entire group were done with their shoots and probably watching her pose in this gigantic shell. Placing her foot on the rim of the large seashell, Pearl assumed a pose that made her appear like she was about to march out of it, as a nearby wind machine blew tendrils of her hair back.  
“And we’re done, thank you!” Steven said with a grin before walking over to shake Pearl’s hand. “I have to say that you guys did really well today. Connie and I will go through the photos and submit them for publishing. They’ll be featured in fashion magazines by the end of this month!” he remarked and beamed at the girls.  
“Man, I wouldn’t be surprised to see you guys rubbing shoulders with the A-listers like Karlie Kloss in a year’s time!” Connie piped as she helped Lapis unstrap the golden wings from her back.  
“Well don’t give us all the credit, we still gotta thank Rose for giving us this opportunity!” Amethyst replied, “Also, the photos you guys took today looked sooooo good, we #slayed!” she exclaimed.  
After changing out of their outfits and bidding farewell to Steven and Connie, Pearl headed over to one of the makeup tables in search of wipes or some makeup remover.  
“Pearl Malik, nice to see you again.” A high pitched voice drawled from behind her as a pale hand with long, skinny fingers landed upon her shoulder with a feathery touch.  
Pearl groaned in annoyance upon hearing that voice again, she knew all to well who it belonged too and had no need to turn around to identify its owner. “Look, I thought I told you that I never want to see you, ever again.” She explained, whirling around on her heels to face the equally tall woman behind her. Looking into her smug face, Pearl could not help but note how much this woman bore a resemblance to her, with her honey blonde hair being the only thing that set them apart.  
“Well Pearl Rossi, it’s not very nice to see you again.” She retorted in a tone that dripped with sarcasm and prodded a finger in the direction of the woman who shared the same first name as her. “What are you even doing here anyway?” she questioned.  
“Aww Ms Malik, didn’t you know that I work as a makeup artist on the side?” she teased, shoving Pearl into the swivel chair as she began to clean the makeup off her face.  
“Don’t you make enough money at the Diamond Authority? Besides, you’re always being sent off to collect scarves and leggings from this designer and that fashion house like an errand girl.” Pearl spat, watching as Pearl Rossi simply pouted her thin lips before her.  
“Well, the DA hired a new girl last week, who showed up on her first day dressed in a hideously frumpy blue sweater. And guess what, her name is Pearl too, I must say the Diamond sisters have good taste in names.” Rossi remarked.  
“Either that, or they have really bad taste in hiring competent employees.” Pearl replied with a smirk and watched as Rossi frowned.  
“Hey, watch it Malik. I’m only here today because the Diamonds wanted me to be here.” Rossi taunted. “Yolanda Diamond, aka my boss has word that Sapphire Hadad was so impressed by your performance that she signed you and all your little ragtag friends on the spot. But well, I have even better news for you, Yolanda wants to make an offer to sign you instead and she’ll have you walk the runway at New York Fashion Week, as well as Milan Fashion Week, how does that sound?”  
“Listen Rossi, I left the Diamonds because I hated it there. I know I’m all 90s heroin chic, but starring me in that ‘perfect body’ campaign you guys had going on had ended up with me receiving so much online hate that I had to shut down all of my social media accounts for a month!” Pearl fumed. “What made it all worst was the fact that you guys used the pictures from a lingerie photoshoot I did earlier for your campaign without telling me about it. I do not condone trashing other women’s bodies simply to make myself feel better, alright?” she huffed and swivelled around in her chair. “I’ll take care of my makeup myself, Rossi.” Pearl huffed.  
“Here’s the contract, and just so you know, sticking up for fugly people isn’t going to make you a better person. Make your choice Malik, are you gonna stay here with your hideous friends and forever remain a nameless B-lister, or come with the Diamonds and become the supermodel you’ve always dreamed of being.” Rossi spoke as she tossed an envelope in Pearl’s lap before stalking away in her heeled thigh high boots.  
“Hey, what’s the matter P?” Amethyst called out, running over to wear Pearl sat. “Is she bothering you?” the shorter girl asked as she stared daggers at Pearl Rossi’s back.  
“Her boss, Yolanda Diamond is offering me the chance to walk at New York Fashion Week and Milan Fashion Week if I am willing to go back to her agency.” Pearl explained, looking down at the white envelope that sat in her lap. “The thing is, I used to be signed under her, and her team were simply horrible. They would occasionally praise me for being tall and skinny, and then berate me and force me to gain weight whenever they received backlash from their campaigns.”  
“Oh man, the Diamonds were the one who starred you in that ‘Perfect Body’ campaign huh? They really shouldn’t be pitting us models against one another.” Amethyst complained, “I’m glad that Rose has promised to never take part in a campaign like that.”  
“Yeah, I never want to be a part of something like that ever again.” Pearl said as she cleaned the last of her eye makeup off. “C’mon Ame, let’s go grab some coffee because I passed a coffee shop earlier and that’s all I’ve been thinking off all day.´ Pearl started as she jumped out of her seat and beckoned Amethyst along as she headed in the direction of the door.  
“Dude, we could get that one-for-one deal at Starbucks! Oh man, I’ll get the others to come along too!” she whooped before hollering across the room to Lapis, Peridot and Jasper that she and Pearl were off to Starbucks. Upon hearing about the deal, the trio leapt out of their seats immediately and headed for the door with Pearl and Amethyst in tow.  
“I’m getting a frappe, does anybody want one too?” Peridot asked as they strode through the main lobby.  
“No thank you, just two black coffees for me today.” Lapis replied. “Maybe Amethyst will be up for a frappe?”  
“Oooooh boy, I’m always up for frappes!” Amethyst whooped, “Hey Pearl, whatcha getting? Maybe you can share your free drink with Jasper.”  
“Uhhh, I’ll get a tea perhaps, would you be alright with that?” Pearl asked the taller woman who was attempting to put her hair up in a ponytail.  
“Lady, I probably drink more tea than the Queen of England, so hell yeah I’m up for that!” Jasper replied with a large grin as she clapped Pearl on the back and laughed. Standing in the busy street awash with bright Californian sunshine, Pearl watched as her newfound friends laughed and joked amongst themselves in a truly carefree manner. To hell with the Diamonds and their toxicity, she thought, I’m better off with these people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Each of the gem's photoshoots were based off ancient legends related to how their gemstones formed. Amethyst's was based off the ancient Greek myth of Amethysta. While Jasper and Lapis Lazuli stones were both related to the ancient Egyptian goddess Isis, the former was believed to be formed from her blood while the latter was believed to contain her soul and all of her wisdom. Peridot's photoshoot was based off this image of the Hawaiian goddess Pele (https://goddessinspired.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/pele-goddess.jpg) and Pearl's was based off Sandro Botticelli's Birth of Venus, because ya know pearls are formed from oysters.
> 
> The Diamond's 'Perfect Body' campaign is inspired by the real world Victoria's Secret ad of the same name which resulted in a lot of backlash and controversy over body shaming and unattainable beauty standards.


End file.
